Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoharvard’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yoharvard’, characterized by its upright and uniformly mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform flowering response; early flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with dark red bronze-colored ray florets that resist fading; and excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about four weeks in an interior environment.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘YOHARVARD’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially grown as a pot-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yoharvard’.

The objective of the breeding program is to create new pot-type Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, freely branching habit, good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time and excellent postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in November, 2000, in Salinas, Calif. of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number Y-5832, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-4959, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. in March, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, freely branching habit, good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret coloration, fast response time and excellent postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. June, 2002. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Yoharvard have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yoharvard’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yoharvard’ as a new and distinct potted Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright and uniformly mounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored foliage.     -   4. Uniform flowering response.     -   5. Can be grown disbudded, center-budded or as natural spray         type.     -   6. Early flowering habit, eight-week response time.     -   7. Decorative-type inflorescences with dark red-colored ray         florets that resist fading.     -   8. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining         good substance and color for about four weeks in an interior         environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more uniform than plants         of the female parent selection.     -   2. Ray floret color of inflorescences of plants of the new         Chrysanthemum resist fading better than ray floret color of         inflorescences of plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the male parent selection primarily in inflorescence form as inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum do not develop disc florets whereas inflorescences of plants of the male parent selection develop disc florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Red Delano, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,345. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed primarily in plant form as plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more uniform than plants of the cultivar Red Delano.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Yoharvard’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Yoharvard’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Leamington, Ontario, Canada during the summer in a glass-covered greenhouse and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial pot-type Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 21° C. to 27° C., night temperatures ranged from 17° C. to 19° C. and light levels ranged from 4,000 to 6,000 foot candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cm containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched about two weeks later. At that time, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were started. Plants used in the photographs and for the description were disbudded and were about two months old. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar     Yoharvard. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-5832,             not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-4959,             not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at temperatures of             about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About ten days at             temperatures of about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Medium thickness, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative pot-type Chrysanthemum             typically grown as a disbudded, center-budded or as a             natural spray type. Stems upright and outwardly spreading             giving a uniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely             branching habit, about four lateral branches develop after             removal of terminal apex (pinching); dense and full plant             habit. Strong and vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 29 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 45 cm.         -   Lateral branches (peduncles).—Length: About 19 cm. Diameter:             About 7 mm. Internode length: About 1.9 cm. Strength: Very             strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Darker than 144A to close             to 146A. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 9.75 cm.         -   Width.—About 6.6 cm.         -   Apex.—Mucronate.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes             parallel to slightly convergent.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Fine pubescence; veins             prominent on lower surface.         -   Color.—Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface:             Darker than 147A; venation, close to 147A to 147B.             Developing and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: Darker             than 147B; venation, close to 147B to 147C.         -   Petiole length.—About 1.9 cm.         -   Petiole diameter.—About 6 mm.         -   Petiole color, upper and lower surfaces.—146B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with             elongated oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on             terminals above foliage. Ray florets arranged acropetally on             a capitulum. Inflorescence not fragrant. Typically grown as             a center-budded type.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower             in the autumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other             times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development             can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at             least 13.5 hours of darkness). Early flowering habit; plants             exposed to two weeks of long day/short night conditions             followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions             flower about eight weeks later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about four weeks in an interior             environment.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Grown as a disbud, only one             inflorescence develops per lateral stem or four             inflorescences per plant.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 1 cm.             Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 146A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 9.75 cm. Depth (height):             About 3.6 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 1.2 cm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially             upright, then about 70° from vertical. Aspect: Incurved.             Length: About 4.7 cm. Width: About 1.4 cm. Corolla tube             length: About 1.1 cm. Apex: Acute, mounded or emarginate.             Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of ray florets             per inflorescence: About 324 arranged in numerous rows.             Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 59A;             color resists fading with development. Fully opened, upper             and lower surfaces: Close to 187C.         -   Disc florets.—No disc florets observed.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence:             About 24. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 4 mm. Shape:             Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Texture, upper             surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent.             Color, upper surface: Close to 146A. Color, lower surface:             Close to 147B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: None observed. Gynoecium:             Pistil length: About 1 cm. Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma             color: Close to 9A. Style length: About 7 mm. Style color:             Close to 145D. Ovary color: Close to 157A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been     observed to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 1° C. to about     38° C. 

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoharvard’ as illustrated and described. 